CHAPTER 23

The gates of the Rivers Pack stood wide open but there was nothing warm about the welcome. As Zayne and Eva approached the clearing, they noticed that there was a crowd. The pack members had gathered, waiting for them to show up.  The silence was so loud you could hear a pin drop. Tension choked the air. It wasn't just the pack standing there—no. The elders had come. Council members too. Wolves of all ranks and generations stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a circle in the middle of the clearing as though they were preparing to witness a public judgment. Eva's steps faltered slightly as she came down from the car. Her hand brushed Zayne's. He took it gently, squeezing it as if to reassure her, but even he didn’t know what this was. Leo, met them halfway. His eyes moved between them before landing heavily on Zayne. “What’s going on?” Zayne demanded, scanning the crowd. His Alpha instincts were already stirring. There were too many bodies, too much tension, too few explanations. L